Dispensing apparatus for pressurized containers



United. States Patent 3,179,296 DISPENSING APPARATUS FOR PRESSURIZED CONTAINERS Carmen P. Cairelli, Farmington, Conn., assignor to Richardson-Merrell Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 337,368 8 Claims. (Cl. 222-7 0) The present invention relates to dispensing apparatus, and more particularly to dispensing apparatus for the periodic dispensing at controlled intervals of a wide variety of materials from pressurized containers.

It is now common practice to package various products such as insecticides, deodorants, decongestants, perfumes, lubricating oils, and micronized solids in containers under pressure of an inert gas. When needed they are dispensed in the form of a fine spray, cloud, or aerosol by actuating a pressure sensitive valve by hand. On many occasions it is desirable to dispense these materials at periodic intervals, for example, for a few seconds at intervals of fifteen minutes, one hour, twice a day, and so forth. In such cases an automatically operated valve is needed. Spraying decongestants and medicaments of various kinds into a room where a patient is sleeping is one instance where it is, desirable to operate the Valve automatically. Lubricating unattended machinery is another important use of an automatic dispensing apparatus such as is provided by the present invention.

The dispensing apparatus contemplated by the present invention comprises a motor turning a pinion gear, a pair of gears driven by the pinion gear, actuating means operatively associated with one of the paired gear means to engage periodically at timed intervals the valve of a pressurized container to open the valve and cause the contents of the pressurized container to be released.

In order that the dispensing apparatus of the present invention may be more clearly understood, reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation partly in section of the dispensing apparatus made in accordance with the present invention shown in association with a typical pressurized dispensing can.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view taken along lines 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation partly in section of the dispensing apparatus showing actuation of the valve means of the dispensing container.

FIGURE 4 is a partial cross-sectional elevation showing part of a paired gear pair with a cam, cam follower, and valve actuating means in relationship just prior to actuation of the valve of a container.

FIGURE 5 is the same elevation as FIGURE 4 showing the cam, cam follower, and valve actuating means in contacting and actuating relationship to each other.

Referring now to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of a dispensing apparatus made in accordance with the present invention, and generally designated by numera1 10, is shown. As will be seen from FIGURE 1, the dispensing apparatus comprises a frame or base member 11, which may be secured to the top of a pressurized dispensing container C in any suitable manner. The frame or base member 11 is generally tubular in configuration. The base member 11 in the embodiment shown is provided at its lower end with a groove 12 corresponding substantially in configuration and dimensions to the rolled edge 13 of the pressurized fluid container C. The base member 11 is preferably of resilient plastic material which permits the base to be mounted on the pressurized container by a snap action which results in firm retention of the base to the head of the container C.

The walls 14 of the tubular base member serve as means for supporting the actuating parts of the apparatus. An inwardly projecting ledge 15, formed in the uppermost inner walls of the base member, may be formed to support a circular plate 16 which carries the mechanism. This supporting plate member maybe held in place by additional means such as by bolts 17 passing through bosses 18 which may be molded in the inner section of the base to provide additional strength and rigidity. A cover 19 may be provided as shown to protect the mechanism.

An electric or spring-wound clock motor 20 is used as driving means for the mechanism. Any other driving means which operates at a reasonably uniform speed may be used when an accurate time interval between valve actuations is not particularly important.

Motor 20 drives a pinion gear 21 shown to best advantage in FIGURE 2. This pinion in turn drives a pair of gears 22 and 23 which are characterized by having a different number ofteeth, for instance, 60 and 64, respectively, and with gear 23 having a journal bearing 24 being mounted on a journal 25 and designed so as to slide longitudinally on the journal so that the distance between the parallel gears 22 and 23 may be increased or decreased as the gears are turning. Gear 22 is also designed to turn on journal 25 but is held in a fixed horizontal position.

In the nonactuating position, as shown in FIGURE 1, gear member 23 is held in an upward position by resilient means such as a spring 26. It is an essential part of the present invention that the two parallel gears 22 and 23 have a different number of teeth, rotate about a common axis and one gear is able to move away from the other gear on the common axis while still maintaining engagement with the pinion gear.

Gear 22 has a downwardly sloping cam 28 and the lower gear member 23 has a cam follower 29 projecting upwardly as shown in the drawings. Both are at the same radial distance from the center of rotation. These cams may be lanced from the body of the gear or may be formed thereon in any suitable manner. The cam on the gear with the most number of teeth should be sloped upwardly in the direction of rotation of the gear whereas the cam with the fewer number of teeth should be sloped downwardly away from the direction of rotation as shown in FIGURE 4 so as to enable the two cams to ride up on each other as the faster moving gear overtakes the slower one which has the most number of teeth. To provide a quick closing action on the valve, the cam should terminate abruptly. As will be seen by comparing FIGURE 4 and FIGURE 5, the action of the cams is to force thetwo gear members apart as the cams pass each other. This action is also illustrated by comparing FIGURE 1 and FIGURE 3.

Although one set of cams could be used to operate the apparatus, it is obvious that if downward pressure was applied at only one point on the gear, it would tend to bind on its journal. Accordingly, it is preferred that gears 22 and 23 have three cam pairs 28, 29; 30, 31; and 32, 33, respectively. These are spaced at equal angles apart but at different radial distances from the axis of rotation so that the several cam pairs can pass without touching each other.

As cam 28 overtakes cam 29 as the pinion gear ro tates the gear pair, the lower gear 23 will be forced down away from the upper gear. This downward displacement can be made to actuate the container valve 40. In a preferred embodiment, a projection 34 on the lower gear is provided. This projection is designed to come into contact with another projection 36 on a hinged yoke 35 which actuates the valve button 40. The yoke may be hinged to a suitable part of the valve actuating mechanism as shown. To compensate for slight irregularities in valve button construction and height and to prevent stalling of the motor if the valve button 40 is too high, the cam 36 may be of a spring like character so as to yield when pressure greater than that needed to actuate the valve is applied.

To operate the automatic valve actuating mechanism of the present invention, the actuator is firmly attached to the container from which material is to be dispensed. Any suitable method of attaching the mechanism may be employed so long as it does not permit the valve depressor to move away from the valve button as pressure is applied. Care should be taken to see that the cams, or projections, 34 on the lower gear 23 and 36 of the yoke 35 are in operative alignment as shown in FIGURE 5 when the cam pair 28 and 29 are also in operative alignment. Cams 34 and 36 should be in operative relationship at a point over the valve button and perpendicular to the axis of the hinge to which yoke 35 is attached. When using three or more cam pairs between the two gears 22 and 23, their relative position is immaterial but it is preferred that one set be in operative relationship at a point over the valve button 40 when the valve is actuated as is shown in FIGURE 5.

When the gears and cams have been set in operative relationship, which is usually done when the apparatus is assembled and need not be changed thereafter, the valve actuating mechanism is ready for operation. If driven by an electric motor, it maybe started by plugging into a source of electrical current with a cord 42.

In the case of a mechanism having a pinion gear with eight teeth and with gear 22 having sixty teeth and gear 23 having sixty-four teeth, eight complete revolutions of the pinion gear will result in one full revolution of gear 23. During this same time, gear 22 will advance sixtyfour teeth, or one revolution plus the distance represented by four of its gear teeth. In other words, gear 22 travels faster than gear 23 by four teeth for each revolution of gear 23. Eventually, as willbe seen, gear 22 will overtake gear 23 and cams 28 and 29 will come into play pushing gear 23 downwardly as shown in FIGURE 5 and in turn cam 34 will engage cam 36 and depress yoke 35 and the valve will be actuated.

The valve will remain depressed as long as cams 28, 29 and 34, 36 are in engagement. The effective actuating surface or radial length of these two cams will have a part in determining the length of time during which the gear 23 is depressed. Since gears 22 and 23 are turning in the same direction but at different speeds, the relative rotation must be taken into account in calculating the time during which the valve is depressed. Similarly, the lengths of cams 34 and 36 will be determined by the length of time that it is desired to have valve button 40 depressed taking into account, of course, the relative speed of rotation of the gears 22 and 23. Ordinarily, but not necessarily, the effective actuating surface of cam 36 will be longer than the actuating surfaces of cams 28 and 29 in view of the fact that yoke 35 is not turning.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the lower gear with the valve actuating cam 34 is depressed once every sixteen revolutions of the lower gear and the de pression occurs while the cam member 34 is over valve 40 of the container This is readily accomplished by choosing gears 22 and 23 with an appropriate number of teeth, for example, 60 and 64 as previously described. The number of teeth in these gears should be selected so that the number of teeth of the one having the greatest number of teeth gives a product when multiplied by a whole number which is equal to the product of that same whole number plus one multiplied by the number of teeth in the other gear. For example, in the case illustrated: 64X l5 =60 16. Another suitable gear pair would, for example, have 52 and 48 teeth, respectively As will be apparent from the foregoing, an infinite variety of combinations of valve actuation is possible. Change in the speed of the pinion gear, the number of teeth of the geared pair, and the length of the actuating surfaces of the cams will all be taken into consideration. Fortunately, these factors can be determined by relatively simple mathematical calculations.

As will be obvious, the casing 11 should have an opening (not shown) through which the spray from orifice 41 of the valve head may pass. Means for positioning the valve actuating apparatus so that the opening will always be in alignment with the spray may be provided, if desired.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for actuating the valve of a pressurized container at predetermined intervals of time which comprises a pinion gear, driving means for said pinion gear, a pair of gears rotatably mounted on a common journal, the teeth of which engage the teeth of said pinion gear, one of said gear pair having a larger number of teeth than the other, the lower one of said gears being free to rotate and slide on the journal away from the upper gear as downward pressure is applied to it while retaining tooth-totooth engagement with said pinion gear, the upper gear being rotatable but not upwardly slidable on said journal, resilient means normally holding the lower gear in an upper position parallel with the rotatable non-slidable gear, a downwardly projecting cam member on the upper gear and an upwardly projecting cam member on the lower gear, said cam members being at equal radial distances from the center of rotation of the gear pair, the cam member on the gear with the fewer number of teeth being adapted to ride up on the cam member on the gear with the larger number of teeth as the faster moving cam overtakes the slower moving cam and to force the lower gear downwardly and thereby to actuate a valve member on a pressurized container to which the actuating apparatus is attached.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which the driving means is a clock motor adapted to turn the pinion gear at a constant rate of speed.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which the gear pair is selected with gears having a number of teeth such that the number of teeth of the one having the greatest number of teeth when multiplied by a whole number gives a product equal to the product of that same whole number plus one (1) multipled by the number of teeth in the other gear.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which the lower gear has the largest number of teeth.

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which the lower gear has sixty-four (64) teeth and the upper gear has sixty (60) teeth.

6. Apparatus for actuating the valve of a pressurized container at predetermined intervals of time which comprises a pinion gear, driving means for said pinion gear, a pair of gears rotatably mounted on a common journal, the teeth of which engage the teeth of said pinion gear, one of said gear pair having a larger number of teeth than the other, the lower one of said gears being free to rotate and slide on the journal away from the upper gear as downward pressure is applied to it while retaining tooth-to-tooth engagement with said pinion gear, the upper gear being rotatable but not upwardly slidable on said journal, resilient means normally holding the lower gear in an upper position parallel with the rotatable non-slidable gear, a downwardly projecting cam member on the upper gear and an upwardly projecting cam member on the lower gear, said cam members being at equal radial distances from the center of rotation of the gear pair, the cam member on the gear with the fewer number of teeth being adapted to ride up on the cam member on the gear with the larger number of teeth as the faster moving cam overtakes the slower moving cam and to force the lower gear away from the upper gear, a downwardly projecting valve actuating member on the lower gear, and means for attaching the valve actuating apparatus to the top of a pressurized container which has a valve actuated by downward pressure, the downwardly projecting valve actuating member being adapted to engage and press downwardly the valve member of said container as the cams on the gear pair engage each other and the lower gear is moved downwardly.

7. Apparatus for actuatingthe valve of a pressurized container at a predetermined intervals of time which comprises a pinion gear, driving means for said pinion gear, a pair of gears rotatably mounted on a common journal, the teeth of which engage the teeth of said pinion gear, one of said gear pair having a larger number of teeth than the other, the lower one of said gears being free to rotate and slide on the journal away from the upper gear as downward pressure is applied to it while retaining tooth-to-tooth engagement with said pinion gear, the upper gear being rotatable but not upwardly slidable on said journal, resilient means normally holding the lower gear in an upper position parallel with the rotatable non-slidable gear, at

plurality of downwardly projecting cam members on the upper gear and matching upwardly projecting cam members on the lower gear, each downwardly projecting cam member being at a different radial distance from the center of rotation of the gear pair and each of the upwardly projecting cam members also being at dilferent radial distances, each one of the downwardly projecting cam members being at the same radial distance from the center of rotation as one of the upwardly projecting cam members to form cam pairs which can pass over each other as the gears rotate but which will be in actuating relationship to each other when the faster moving gear overtakes the slower moving gear as the gears rotate, the said cam members being adapted to ride up on each other as the faster moving cam overtakes the slower moving cam and to force the lower gear away from the upper gear, a downwardly projecting valve actuating member on the lower gear, and means for attaching the valve actuating apparatus to the top of a pressurized container having a valve actuated by downward pressure, the downwardly projecting valve actuating member being adapted toengage'and press downwardly the valve member of said container as the cams on the gear pair engage each other and the lower gear is moved downwardly.

8. Apparatus for actuating the valve of a pressurized container at predetermined intervals of time which comprises a pinion gear, driving means for said pinion gear, a pair of gears rotatably mounted on a common journal, the teeth of which engage the teeth of said pinion gear, one of said gear pair having a larger number of teeth than the other, the lower one of said gears being free to rotate and slide on the journal away from the upper gear as downward pressure is applied to it while retaining toothto'tooth engagement with said pinion gear, the upper gear being rotatable but not upwardly slidable on said journal, resilient means normally holding the lower gear in an upper position parallel with the rotatable non-slidable gear, a downwardly projecting cam member on the upper gear and an upwardly projecting cam member on the lower gear, said cam members being at equal radial distances from the center of rotation of the gear pair, the cam member on the gear with the fewer number of teeth being adapted to ride up on the cam member on the gear with the larger number of teeth as the faster moving cam overtakes the slower moving cam and to force the lower gear away from the upper gear, a downwardly projecting valve actuating member on the lower gear, a hinged yoke parallel with the said gear pair and adapted to swing downwardly in response to pressure exterted thereon by said downwardly projecting valve actuating member on the lower gear, and an upwardly projecting resilient means on said yoke adapted to make contact with the downwardly projecting valve actuating means on the lower gear as the cam pairs between the gears are brought into contact and the lower gear is moved down, the lower surface of said yoke being adapted to engage and press downwardly the valve member of a container to which the actuating mechanism is attached and to actuate the same.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,613,108 10/52 Kraus 222 2,97 1,382 2/61 Harris 222-70 X 3,018,056 1/ 62 Montgomery 22270 X 3,139,218 6/64 Cairelli 222-504 X LOUIS I. DEMBO, Primary Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR ACTUATING THE VALVE OF A PRESSURIZED CONTAINER AT PREDETERMINED INTERVALS OF TIME WHICH COMPRISES A PINION GEAR, DRIVING MEANS FOR SAID PINION GEAR, A PAIR OF GEARS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON A COMMON JOURNAL, THE TEETH OF WHICH ENGAGE THE TEETH OF SAID PINION GEAR, ONE OF SAID GEAR PAIR HAVING A LARGER NUMBER OF TEETH THAN THE OTHER, THE LOWER ONE OF SAID GEARS BEING FREE TO ROTATE AND SLIDE ON THE JOURNAL AWAY FROM THE UPPER GEAR AS DOWNWARD, PRESSURE IS APPLIED TO IT WHILE RETAINING TOOTH-TOTOOTH ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID PINION GEAR, THE UPPER GEAR BEING ROTATABLY BUT NOT UPWARDLY SLIDABLE ON SAID JOURNAL, RESILIENT MEANS NORMALLY HOLDING THE LOWER GEAR IN AN UPPER POSITION PARALLEL WITH THE ROTATABLY ON-SLIDABLE GEAR, A DOWNWARDLY PROJECTING CAM MEMBER ON THE UPPER GEAR AND AN UPWARDLY PROJECTING CAM MEMBER ON THE LOWER GEAR, SAID CAM MEMBERS BEING AT EQUAL RADIAL DISTANCES FROM THE CENTER OF ROTATION OF THE GEAR PAIR, THE CAM MEMBER ON THE GEAR WITH THE FEWER NUMBER OF TEETH BEING ADAPTED TO RIDE UP ON THE CAM MEMBER ON THE GEAR WITH THE LARGER NUMBER OF TEETH AS THE FASTER MOVING CAM OVERTAKES THE SLOWER MOVING CAM AND TO FORCE THE LOWER GEAR DOWNWARDLY AND THEREBY TO ACTUATE A VALVE MEMBER ON A PRESSURIZED CONTAINER TO WHICH THE ACTUATING APPARATUS IS ATTACHED. 